Till Death Do Us Part

by Stephen Edger

  ‘No,’ she said firmly, ‘I mean what happened after that – when Ben was tied to the lamppost. Did he tell you who attacked Kerry Valentine?’

  Ray’s focus returned to the road. ‘I know what you know: he was tied up when she was killed.’

  Alice heard the uncertainty in his tone, and decided to press home her advantage. If Ben wouldn’t give her the truth, she was sure Ray would break with gentle pushing. Unlocking the phone again, she flicked back to the large group shot of the ten men.

  ‘Did Ben show you these?’ she asked, raising the phone above the satnav.

  Ray glanced at the group shot. ‘Are these from that night? No, he didn’t show me, but he did mention some pictures he was going to show the police to prove he couldn’t have murdered Kerry.’

  The images of Kerry dancing flashed across the screen as Alice flicked to the image of Ben at the lamppost. ‘I didn’t spot it at first, but in this first image, Ben’s sleeves are down and his shirt doesn’t have a breast pocket …’ she flicked to the final shot, ‘in this one his sleeves are rolled up and his shirt suddenly has a pocket.’

  The car jerked as Ray’s hands slipped on the wheel, but he quickly regained control. ‘Are you sure? It’s probably just the way he’s sitting in the first shot that means you can’t see the pocket.’

  ‘No, I’ve checked and in the earlier images his shirt doesn’t have a pocket either. It’s the most incredible thing – despite him being tied to that post, he manages to change his shirt and roll up the sleeves. How do you explain that?’

  There was a brief pause. ‘Have you asked Ben about this? Perhaps we should turn around and ask him directly.’

  ‘No, I don’t want him to lie to me again. I’m sick of everyone lying to me all the time. Please, Ray, don’t be like your son. Tell me the truth.’

  Ray slowed and brought the car to a stop, removing a handkerchief from his trouser pocket and wiping his forehead.

  The next street light was a good thirty yards away, so they were in virtual darkness, save for the glow from the phone’s screen.

  ‘Can I have a look at the pictures?’ Ray asked, his voice shaking.

  Alice couldn’t ignore the pang of guilt as she handed the phone over to him; it wasn’t fair to force Ray to confront the possibility that his son wasn’t the man he believed. But it was too late to turn back now. ‘Can you see what I mean?’ she said, pointing at the pocket. ‘Here it is, but in this one,’ she swiped back, ‘there is no pocket. If you swipe back through the others,’ the images of Kerry flashed across the screen, ‘there’s no pocket there either. Ben changed his shirt in Bournemouth, and what I want to know is when, and why.’

  Alice froze as something in one of the images caught her attention. It showed Kerry straddling Ben, his shirt unbuttoned, and Ben looking away as she liberally squirted cream onto his chest. To the far right of the image was a coat stand, cloaked in darkness, but with an unmistakeable jacket hanging from one of the hooks. She had to have seen the image a dozen times, and had never noticed the coat stand, but now she couldn’t pull her eyes from it. The white jacket embossed with military awards couldn’t belong to anyone but the man sweating next to her.

  Alice’s hand shot up to her mouth in shock. ‘You were there. In Bournemouth. You saw Kerry dancing in the Merry Berry bar.’

  Ray pocketed the phone, wiping his forehead again, and slowly rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Alice immediately recognized the pattern inside the shirt, and fear flooded her body.

  ‘Serving in the military,’ he began, his voice now steadier, as if a weight had been lifted from his chest, ‘the one thing they drilled into us was never to leave a man behind. No matter the danger or risk to one’s own life, you never left a fallen comrade. I’ve tried to instil that ethos in Ben since the day he was born.’

  He paused and looked over at her. There was no anger or fear in his eyes, nothing but a determination to prove that he hadn’t done anything wrong. ‘I don’t expect you to understand. Until you’ve put your life on the line for your country, you’ll never understand what it means to do what is necessary.’

  Saliva pooled in Alice’s throat as she realized what Ray was about to say. ‘It was you. You killed Kerry Valentine.’

  Ray’s eyes narrowed. ‘She had a phone, and I saw her discreetly take a picture of Ben while he was still tied up to the chair. I knew what she planned to do with the picture – she was going to use it to blackmail him. Just like Mary, she was going to use him for her own nefarious ends. I went after her and offered to pay her off, but she came at me with a knife, and … I never meant for her to get stabbed, but I was protecting myself, and I was protecting my son.’

  Alice choked down the vomit and desperately tried to steady her breathing. Her vision started to blur as tears formed. ‘Ben swapped shirts with you.’

  ‘After it had happened, I came back to where he was tied up and explained the situation. I untied him and he came with me to where Kerry’s body was, and he said I should go and get Dave to help. I raced to the off-licence where the boys were, but Dave wasn’t around, so I collared Ben’s mate Abdul. I knew he was local to the area and would know where we could stash the body until we were sober enough to work out what to do. That was a bad decision on my part; if I’d known how spineless Abdul was I wouldn’t have taken him back. He nearly threw up on her – can you believe that? I told him to help us move her somewhere or he’d be joining her.

  ‘We carried her down to the cellar of the Merry Berry, and hurried back to the lamppost so none of the others would realize what had happened. Ben suggested we change shirts as some of her blood had splashed up on his when we’d moved her. With my jacket buttoned up, none of the others would see that I wasn’t wearing a shirt. We got back just before the others returned, and then we went back inside and kept drinking.

  ‘Abdul scarpered at dawn, before we’d had chance to settle him down. Ben was worried Abdul would go to the police and tell them what had happened, so I paid him a visit at work. For a man with such dark skin, he went so pale when he saw me. I told him we needed to dump the body, and forced him to take me back to the cellar. I took a picture of him with the body, and told him that if he admitted to anyone what he’d seen, I’d tell the police he was the one who’d killed her. I have no idea how his DNA wound up in the scratch on her cheek, but it didn’t surprise me.’

  Alice could feel the door’s handle between her fingertips, and quickly yanked on it as Ray once again wiped his forehead. The handle moved but the door remained firm. Turning to study the door, she found it locked.

  ‘The truth is more difficult to hear than you’d anticipated, isn’t it?’ Ray said, looking over at her, unconcerned by her attempts to escape the car. ‘The question is – what are you going to do now that you know?’

  SIXTY

  There was a cold disconnect to Ray’s voice. ‘If the police learn the truth, it won’t just be me they bring in. Ben helped cover up the crime, and the sentence will be equally as punishing to him. I can’t allow that to happen.’

  The hairs on the back of Alice’s neck tingled at the implication of Ray’s words. She looked out through the windscreen, but there was no sign of passing traffic. There were no houses on the road they’d stopped on either, so the chance of a resident passing by was slim. Even if another car drove past them, the driver would be unlikely to see the two of them or realize how much danger she was in.

  Ray was watching her again. She was his prisoner and he would determine how soon she could escape, or if she even would. She’d never seen such an ice cold stare before and her bones chilled instantly. ‘You’re not going to cause trouble, are you, Alice?’

  ‘Ray, a crime has been committed, you need to talk to the police.’

  ‘No,’ he said, more calmly than she’d expected. ‘That isn’t best for any of us.’

  ‘Kerry’s family deserve to know what happened to her. She has a son.’ Alice tried the door handle again, but it still didn’t bud
ge. ‘Let me go, Ray. Ben wouldn’t be happy if he knew you were holding me against my will.’

  Ray removed his glasses, resting them on the dashboard, and pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. ‘I’m not holding you. You’re free to go, but first … I just need you to promise you’ll keep what I’ve told you to yourself.’

  Alice’s instinct was to just agree, to tell him whatever he wanted to hear that would get her out of the car and allow her to call Hazelton and relay the news. Something told her it wouldn’t be that easy.

  ‘Ben tells me you’re different to Mary,’ Ray continued. ‘Is that true, Alice? Do you love my son for the man he is?’

  She would reserve judgement on her feelings towards Ben until she’d had a chance to ask him whether he really had helped Ray cover up his crime.

  ‘I knew Mary was trouble the first time we met her,’ Ray continued quietly. ‘She spent the best part of an hour telling us how she and Ben would marry and start a family and buy a new house. She was painting this picture-perfect vision of the future, making all the decisions without Ben’s input. He was only eighteen for heaven’s sake! He’d never lived alone, and he was nowhere near ready to get married and start a family. I wanted to intervene there and then, but Hermione convinced me not to. I should have trusted my instinct.’

  Alice tilted her head a fraction, trying to assess whether she could smash the window and escape that way, but since she was dressed only in a T-shirt, the glass would cut her arm to shreds. If only she hadn’t allowed Ray to pocket her phone. Her only chance of survival was to keep him talking and pray that some stranger would pass by and intervene.

  ‘You still let them get married though,’ she challenged. ‘If you thought it was such a bad idea, why not talk to Ben then?’

  ‘I tried, believe me, I tried. Ben thought he was in love, and was blinded by it, but she soon proved I’d been right all along. Three months in and the cracks were already showing. Then when she seduced poor Dave, the writing was on the wall. Ben tried hard to make it work, but he realized he’d made a huge mistake. He told me he wanted to wipe the slate clean and be rid of her, but didn’t know where to start. I told him I would speak to Mary’s mum, see if she could convince her daughter to do the right thing …’

  Alice’s breath caught in her chest.

  ‘Ben had always got on well with Mary’s mum. I think she liked the idea of having a man around who could do little jobs for her: changing light bulbs, unblocking the toilet, that kind of thing. When I told her Ben wanted a divorce she wasn’t happy. She begged me to convince him to give things another try.’

  Alice gasped. ‘You killed her?’

  His brow furrowed in anger. ‘No! What do you take me for? Her fall had nothing to do with me, and more importantly it had nothing to do with Ben. He wasn’t there.’

  ‘You were there though,’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘Why didn’t you call for an ambulance?’

  ‘It was too late for that. She’d had a good life, and she looked at peace. Even if a paramedic had managed to resuscitate her, her quality of life wouldn’t have been great. It gave Ben the out he needed. Free from Mary’s clutches and with a handsome pot of money to go with it.’

  ‘He was charged with murder – he went on trial!’

  ‘They never would have found him guilty,’ Ray roared back, losing control for the first time. ‘I paid for the best barrister money could buy. I made sure he was safe.’

  There was no point in trying to reason with him, nothing Alice could say would convince Ray that his actions were unreasonable – he was too set in his ways. ‘So what happens now?’ she asked, her voice straining. ‘Are you going to kill me too?’

  ‘You misunderstand me, Alice. I’m not a monster. What happened to that girl was self‑defence; I didn’t mean her harm, and I don’t mean you any harm.’

  ‘Let me out of the car then. Let me go and then we can talk about it.’

  She flinched as he raised his hand suddenly, but rather than slap her, he pressed his palm gently against her cheek. ‘You don’t need to be scared of me, Alice. My God, you’re shaking. What is it you think is going to happen? We’re just talking.’

  Alice couldn’t breathe, she wanted to, but her mouth refused to open. ‘I want to get out, Ray. Please? I promise I won’t say anything.’

  His expression softened, and there was a hint of a smile, as the lines in his brow disappeared. ‘I know you won’t. I know you love Ben, and that’s all I need to remember.’

  Alice started as the lock clicked up. All she needed to do now was open the door and she’d be free. She would have to figure out where to go once she was out.

  Ray returned his hand to the steering wheel, looking straight ahead. ‘You’re right, of course. Our relationship needs to be built on trust. Why don’t you let me drive you to your mum’s?’

  ‘No,’ she said quickly. ‘It’s not far from here and I could do with the fresh air. It might put things into perspective.’

  He fixed her with a smile and nodded. ‘As you wish.’

  Alice pulled on the handle and was hit with a wave of relief as the door opened. She practically fell out of the car, her legs barely able to hold her weight as her feet reached the concrete.

  ‘Are you sure you’ll be all right from here?’ Ray said, leaning across the passenger seat. ‘It’s the middle of nowhere and it must be another half a mile to your mum’s house.’

  ‘I’ll be fine,’ Alice said, still unable to breathe normally.

  ‘I can trust you, can’t I, Alice?’

  She nodded, willing him to drive away.

  Ray suddenly straightened, reaching for his glasses and pushing them back up his nose. ‘I’ll let Ben know what we’ve discussed. Take care.’

  Alice pushed the door closed, finally exhaling and sucking in a long, deep breath. The Range Rover’s engine started and Ray pulled away, leaving Alice alone in the dark, wishing she would wake from the nightmare.

  Her legs still felt weak, but staying where she was wasn’t an option. In the darkness, she wouldn’t be seen by any passing traffic until the last minute, and she didn’t want to risk getting knocked down. Forcing one foot in front of the other, she stumbled towards the safety of the street light. Knowing her mum’s house – and the opportunity to phone DC Hazelton – was not far, she ploughed onwards.

  Up ahead, she could still just about make out the rear lights of the Range Rover through the darkness, and then suddenly they were gone, presumably around the bend at the end of the road. Alice allowed herself a momentary sigh of relief, knowing she’d done well to talk herself out of danger, but horrified that her father-in-law could have wreaked such havoc on so many lives.

  Rubbing her hands against the goosebumps on her arms, Alice kept her head bent low, willing her feet to keep moving, to take her closer to safety. Somewhere in the distance she could hear an engine nearing, but with no lights on the road ahead of her she paused, looking back over her shoulder. No immediate sign of lights there either.

  Turning back to check ahead again, she was bathed in a sudden bright light as the Range Rover’s full beam hit her.

  SIXTY-ONE

  ‘How’s the head?’ a familiar voice asked, splitting through Alice’s dream.

  Trying to open her eyes and focus on the voice, Alice momentarily saw a thin figure standing between two doors shrouded by light. She blinked again and the figure was gone. As her mind tried to process the noises and lights around her, she became aware of the feeling of motion. A series of ceiling tiles and bright bulbs whizzed above her head. Blinking again, she saw two figures in light blue staring over her, their face masks moving as if they were speaking, but no sound came out.

  Darkness returned, and it took all her strength to fight against the grip of the painkillers flooding her system to concentrate enough to force her eyes open. The thin figure was back, no longer shrouded by light, but sitting in a low chair near the edge of the bed.

  DC H
azelton sat forward in the chair and smiled empathetically. ‘Try not to speak. You’ve been through a lot, but all you need to know is you’re safe now.’

  The sky through the window told her it was day, but she had no idea if it was early or late. A series of beeps sounded somewhere behind Alice, but it felt like her spirit was floating just above the mangled body in the bed.

  ‘Where am I?’ Alice asked, unable to recall anything immediate.

  ‘You were brought here anonymously,’ Hazelton said. ‘You had no identification or phone, it was only when an eagle-eyed nurse recognized your face that I was called. One of the nurses who was tending to Faye’s injuries was just about to finish her shift when you were brought in on the stretcher.’

  A hospital room certainly explained the array of strange noises, but that didn’t account for the dull ache in her leg or the heat around her neck. The smell of disinfectant assaulted her nostrils.

  ‘Try not to move,’ Hazelton cautioned, coming closer as Alice struggled to sit up. ‘The plaster on your leg is temporary.’

  Alice tried to wiggle her toes and felt the constriction around her right ankle.

  ‘What happened?’ she croaked, her throat dry and hoarse.

  ‘Looks like a hit-and-run,’ Hazelton said. ‘What’s the last thing you can remember?’

  Alice allowed her eyes to temporarily close, focusing on any memories, seeing Hazelton bringing Faye to the house, the excitement on Isabella’s face as she was reunited with her mother, Dave appearing at the front door, a flash of Andrew Hook slamming into the patio door.

  ‘You were found in a ditch on the track near your mum’s house,’ Hazelton continued, ‘but there was no sign of your car. I spoke to your mum but she said she hadn’t seen you, and wasn’t expecting to. I woke her up in fact. I tried to speak to your husband, but there was no answer at your house.’

  Ben’s smiling face appeared in her mind, and she felt her own lips curling up, but then an image of Ray in his embossed jacket, arm around Ben, flashed up, and her joy turned to anger.